Individuals with ASD Report Being Excluded from Services and Not Believed by Professionals
A shocking new policy brief from the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) unveils the “hidden crisis” of suicide in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In their report, INSAR reveals that people with autism are seven times more likely to die by suicide and are six times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. They also report that the risk of suicide is greater for people with ASD without intellectual disability and among women on the spectrum. In fact, women with ASD are 13 times more likely than non-affected women to die by suicide. INSAR’s brief points out that numerous barriers exist that prevent individuals on the spectrum at risk for suicide from getting the attention, treatment and support they need. These barriers include a lack of evidence-based assessment tools and interventions to identify and treat suicidal thoughts and behaviors, a lack of access to mental health services and exclusion from conversations about policies and guidelines that affect people with autism.
To remedy this hidden crisis of suicide and autism, INSAR advocates for removing barriers to mental health services. The organization sees this as the most important issue facing those with autism. INSAR makes the following suggestions to remove these barriers by:
- Explicitly identifying people with autism and those with elevated autistic traits as high-risk groups in suicide prevention policy and clinical guidelines.
- Developing research and clinical partnerships with individuals with autism and those who support them to ensure that future training, intervention and prevention strategies are appropriate.
- Passing legislation requiring mental health services to provide people with autism, with or without intellectual disabilities, with services for a range of co-occurring conditions, including suicidality and prevention.
- Improving systems of autism identification and diagnosis for older children, adolescents and adults, including appropriate post-diagnostic mental health assessment and treatment.
- Developing guidelines to ensure that service recognize the high risk for suicide in indivduals with autism and having the necessary knowledge and skills to provide appropriate treatment for them (e.g., more and longer therapy sessions, continuity of care, appropriate sensory environments, alternative formats for making emergency appointments that do not involve using a phone or meeting someone face to face).
- Developing new ways of delivering accessible and personalized support and treatment.
- Developing accreditation to recognize mental health service providers who excel in the successful support of people with autism.
